Advertisements
Advertisements
Questions
What are ambident nucleophiles? Explain with an example.
What do you mean by ambident nucleophiles? Explain with an example.
Advertisements
Solution
Ambident nucleophiles attack alkyl halides through two distinct atoms. This occurs due to the presence of two nucleophilic centres resulting from resonance structures in the ion. For example, the lone pair of electrons on N in the NO2 ion makes it nucleophilic, while oxygen’s negative charge works as a nucleophile.
Thus, NO2 can attack the O or N atoms, making it ambidentate.

\[\ce{RX + Ag - O - N = O -> \underset{Nitroalkane}{R - NO2}}\]
\[\ce{RX + KNO2 -> \underset{Alkyl nitrate}{R - O - N = O}}\]
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Write the main products when methyl chloride is treated with AgCN.
The treatment of alkyl chlorides with aqueous KOH leads to the formation of alcohols but in the presence of alcoholic KOH, alkenes are major products. Explain.
How the following conversion can be carried out?
Ethyl chloride to propanoic acid.
What is the action of the following on ethyl bromide?
moist silver oxide
Which compound in the following pair reacts faster in SN2 reaction with OH–?
- CH3Br or CH3
- CH3Cl, (CH3)3CCl
Which of the following is optically inactive?
Which of the following pairs is/are correctly matched?
| Reaction | Product | |
| I | RX + AgCN | RNC |
| II | RX + KCN | RCN |
| III | RX + KNO2 | \[\begin{array}{cc} \phantom{.......}\ce{O}\\ \phantom{.....}/\\ \ce{R - N}\phantom{....}\\ \phantom{.....}\backslash\backslash\\ \phantom{.......}\ce{O} \end{array}\] |
| IV | RX + AgNO2 | \[\ce{R-O-N=O}\] |
Which among MeX, RCH2X, R2CHX and R3CX is most reactive towards SN2 reaction?
Racemic compound has ____________.
SN1 reaction of alkyl halides lead to ___________.
Which of the following compounds will give a racemic mixture on nucleophilic substitution by OH ion?
1-Bromoethane, 1-Bromopropane, 1-Bromobutane, Bromobenzene
Complete the following analogy:
Same molecular formula but different structures: A : : Non superimposable mirror images: B
How do polar solvents help in the first step in SN1 mechanism?
Why are aryl halides less reactive towards nucleophilic substitution reactions than alkyl halides?
Chlorination of alkanes is an example of
CCl4 is insoluble in water because:-
Among the following compounds I - IV, which one forms a yellow precipitate on reacting sequentially with (i) NaOH (ii) dil. HNO3 (iii) AgNO3?
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
| I | II | III | IV |
Arrange the following compounds in increasing order of reactivity towards SN2 reaction.
2-Bromopentane, 1-Bromopentane, 2-Bromo-2-methylbutane
Inversion of configuration occurs in ______.
The following questions are case-based questions. Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
|
Nucleophilic Substitution: Influences of solvent polarity: The reaction rate (SN2) of 2-bromopropane and NaOH in ethanol containing 40% water is twice slower than in absolute ethanol. Hence the level of solvent polarity has an influence on both SN1 and SN2 reactions but with different results. Generally speaking, a weak polar solvent is favourable for SN2 reaction, while a strong polar solvent is favourable for SN1. Generally speaking, the substitution reaction of tertiary haloalkane is based on SN1 mechanism in solvents with a strong polarity (for example ethanol containing water). |
Answer the following questions:
(a) Why racemisation occurs in SN1? (1)
(b) Why is ethanol less polar than water? (1)
(c) Which one of, the following in each pair is more reactive towards SN2 reaction? (2)
(i) CH3 – CH2 – I or CH3CH2 – Cl
(ii)

OR
(c) Arrange the following in the increasing order of their reactivity towards SN1 reactions: (2)
(i) 2-Bromo-2-methylbutane, 1-Bromo-pentane, 2-Bromo-pentane
(ii) 1-Bromo-3-methylbutane, 2-Bromo-2-methylbutane, 2-Bromo-3- methylbutane




